A few recent events regarding content in avatars and signatures has spawned the need for GHF to have a concrete stance on what is acceptable to put in your avatars and signatures.

First, there are a few facts that we want to make perfectly clear:

This is a privately owned and operated forum; we have the right to declare what is considered appropriate for our community and to edit all content.

Our primary goal, above all else, is to maintain a "Safe Haven For Modders."

We have always prided this community on its ability to discuss controversial topics in a generally civil manner, and wish to preserve the ability to have such conversations.

Guidelines such as these are only added once it has become necessary to do so based upon multiple events.

The following is now an official member guideline, and has been added to the site guidelines:

Content that may be deemed as offensive or polarizing should not be included in signatures, avatars, topic titles, or other locations that are visible in "common areas" of the site. This includes but is not limited to political and religious statements. We encourage civil discussion of such topics so long as it remains in the "Anything Goes" forum.Signatures may contain anything else that is not offensive or otherwise distasteful. Advertisements for corporate ventures are not permitted, but those for personal enterprise is acceptable.The GHF Council and all staff reserve the right to remove any non-permitted with or without prior notice. Failure to comply to such staff actions is grounds for formal warnings, temporary bans, or permanent bans.

Now, I want to step up on a soapbox for a moment here. I have previously tried to avoid the use of the word "offensive" as much as possible, because it is such a subjective word. Some people may be offended by something that everybody else is perfectly fine. That can make for difficult decisions on the part of the moderation team, with the need to judge whether or not something truly is inappropriate or if someone is simply overreacting or acting on a personal grudge.

Let me clarify that when a situation is difficult to judge for such reasons, no one member of the staff will make the decision. We do have a staff room in which we discuss such matters, and we strive to come to a unanimous decision. When something is deemed to be "offensive" and is removed, you can be assured that decision has the backing of the entire GHF staff.

As for what you find to be offensive, please refer to this fantastic quote which offers some truly sage advice:

[font=Lucida Grande, Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Sans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]When we believe or say we have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.[/font][font=Lucida Grande, Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Sans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]...[/font][font=Lucida Grande, Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Sans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Endowed with agency, you and I are agents, and we primarily are to act and not just be acted upon. To believe that someone or something can make us feel offended, angry, hurt, or bitter diminishes our moral agency and transforms us into objects to be acted upon. As agents, however, you and I have the power to act and to choose how we will respond to an offensive or hurtful situation.[/font][font=Lucida Grande, Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Sans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/font][font=Lucida Grande, Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Sans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]--Elder David A. Bednar

Well, depsite the fact that I have not (to my knowledge at any rate) commited any offenses against the sensibilities of the good people here in any thread titles or signatures (mine is incomprehensible to all but a select few anyways) I have on occasion used coarse language in posts. I'll try and do myst best to use more appropriate and intelligent language here from now on. Most everyone here seems fairly intelligent, so you all deserve to be treated with the same respect that I wish from other intelligent people towards me.

Eldarion Ciareth

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If anyone has any particular questions on whether their content may be 'questionable' as far as potential political content in their avatars or sigs, do not be afraid to ask one of our GHF staff members. We are always willing to help. All one has to do is send a PM, and a reply will be sent when that staff member is back online. If a staff member does not give a timely response (please allow the maximum of one week for a response [usually, it will not take this long, but on rare occasions-> RL.. well you know..]), you can send the same PM to another staff member.

Best regards-D_L

-Signature courtesy of Hello People

To live in the moment is to look forward to the future, as to live in the future is to look forward to the moment.

Is my avatar offensive? The Bethesda forum once closed down a similar version with a naked lady on a motorbike, even though you couldn't see any private parts.

Fliggerty wrote:You'd think that, but you're fogetting two things. First of all, this is Windows we are talking about. There's no explaining why Windows does what Windows does. And secondly, this is Morrowind we are talking about. There's no explaining why Morrowind does what Morrowind does.

Keeping the forum safe and clean

Now if the woman with the dubious likelihood of being clothed were riding a donkey instead of a horse...

Either way when rules such as the above go up, I see it as a good thing. Hopefully it is clear that there is a certain amount of subjectivity in the matter; I'd almost say that's the point. There's not one figure who is or ideology that is universally condemned, and while I think that everyone agrees that a limit needs to be set at some point the question that will pop up on a case-by-case basis is where.

What I hope everyone recognizes is that the above guideline is not iron-clad. I'm obviously not saying it doesn't need to be followed, otherwise Fliggerty wouldn't have written it, but I think I'm safe in saying that not one member of the staff will refuse to review it if someone is in doubt; that on the contrary we would be willing to discuss it again if a question does arise or a new argument comes to light, and I'm talking about the rule itself here and not a specific avatar or signature that may or may not be controversial.

~Master Nomas, Chief Gnome Emperor of the Bug Council, Dexter District, pit of Tel N'gahtel, South Dexter, District of Dexter, Province of Iggerty

Fliggerty wrote:You'd think that, but you're fogetting two things. First of all, this is Windows we are talking about. There's no explaining why Windows does what Windows does. And secondly, this is Morrowind we are talking about. There's no explaining why Morrowind does what Morrowind does.